Critique - Nicholas Hartlep: Decreases in financing for humanities programs pose a threat to the core essence of the Commonwealth
In a concerning development, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee has proposed a 35% cut to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the FY26 budget, which would significantly reduce NEH funding from $207 million to $135 million. This reduction poses a significant threat to Kentucky’s cultural, educational, and civic vitality.
NEH funding is channelled through state partners like Kentucky Humanities, and it brings people together through stories, history, and dialogue. The proposed cuts could result in fewer grants for Kentucky institutions reliant on NEH funding, hindering projects that promote local history, literacy, civic engagement, and public understanding of the humanities.
These cuts would not only affect large institutions but also have a profound impact on small towns and large cities across Kentucky. NEH funding supports local museums, libraries, K-12 education programs, reading initiatives for underserved youth, and projects that preserve Kentucky's unique historical and cultural legacies.
The humanities are essential to the soul of the state of Kentucky. Over the past 53 years, NEH funding has been a lifeline for Kentucky's cultural, educational, and civic vitality, supporting vital humanities programs including museums, historic site preservation, academic research, and public education.
One of the most notable impacts of NEH funding in Kentucky can be seen in local oral history projects, Kentucky Chautauqua performances, and book discussion series for veterans. The speaker, Dr. Nicholas D. Hartlep, the Robert Charles Billings Chair in Education at Berea College and a member of Kentucky Humanities' Board of Directors, emphasizes the importance of not allowing the erasure of decades of impact due to NEH funding cuts.
Dr. Hartlep does not view the NEH funding as a matter of partisan politics. He urges Governor Andy Beshear, Senators Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, and Kentucky's congressional delegation to stand up for NEH funding. Advocacy groups also emphasize that these cuts would undermine the "cultural ecology" and urge public action to lobby the Senate to restore funding.
The speaker encourages the continuation of telling Kentucky's stories. NEH funding is not considered a luxury but an essential investment in community, identity, and democracy. Weighing heavily on the speaker's concern is the need to sustain the vital work of the NEH, which has been instrumental in enhancing public knowledge, civic engagement, and cultural heritage preservation in the state.
In conclusion, if enacted, these cuts would significantly constrain Kentucky cultural and educational institutions' ability to deliver humanities-related programs and services that enrich public knowledge, civic engagement, and cultural heritage preservation in the state. It is crucial for Kentucky's future that we preserve and strengthen the NEH funding, ensuring that the rich tapestry of Kentucky's stories continues to be told for generations to come.
- The proposed cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee for the FY26 budget could result in a significant decrease in NEH funding from $207 million to $135 million, potentially impacting Kentucky's cultural, educational, and civic vitality.
- NEH funding, channelled through Kentucky partners like Kentucky Humanities, brings people together through stories, history, and dialogue, and supports various projects that promote local history, literacy, civic engagement, and public understanding of the humanities.
- These potential cuts would affect not only large institutions but also small towns and cities across Kentucky, potentially hindering local museums, libraries, K-12 education programs, and reading initiatives for underserved youth.
- Dr. Nicholas D. Hartlep, a member of Kentucky Humanities' Board of Directors, emphasizes the importance of preserving NEH funding, viewing it as an essential investment in community, identity, and democracy.
- Advocacy groups urge public action to lobby the Senate to restore NEH funding, emphasizing that these cuts would undermine the "cultural ecology" and potentially constrain Kentucky cultural and educational institutions' ability to deliver humanities-related programs and services that enrich public knowledge, civic engagement, and cultural heritage preservation in the state.